After an intense period of midterms and deadlines, reading week always comes as a much-needed break. Some take advantage of the break as an opportunity to catch up on any missed lectures or readings. Though the week off can be a good time to get a headstart on upcoming work, it’s also always important to get adequate rest and unwind from the stress built up throughout the school year. The McGill Tribune caught up with several students to see what they got up to over the break.  

Lucille Applegate (U1 Arts) 

Feeling exhausted and burnt out from midterm season, Applegate needed a real break from school to unwind and gain back her energy in order to tackle the semester’s last leg with strength. She wanted a change in environment, so Applegate decided to leave Montreal for a few days and visit some family members in Chicago.  

“I rested for most of my time in Chicago by binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy, wandering around the city, catching up on some books, and working on my extracurriculars,” Applegate said. “After midterm season and a lot of uncertainty since the start of the semester because of covid, this was a much-needed break for a lot of people. I feel energized and ready to take on March, with a lot of very fun stuff happening over the month as [COVID-19] rules ease down.”

Tracy Berbari (U1 Management)

As most of her friends stayed in Montreal and a few had come to visit from Vancouver, Waterloo, and Toronto, Berbari felt she should stay in  Montreal for the week. Over the break, Berbari focussed on finding a balance between seeing her friends, going out, binge-watching shows, and studying for her midterms. With the majority of her midterms scheduled for after reading week, she spent a lot of time studying. 

“Reading week did not really feel like a break, but then at the same time, it kind of did,” Berbari said. “Due to the amount of work that my professors had given me for the week, I felt overwhelmed. Yet, this break was much needed and enabled me to get back in the right headspace to focus on my work and re-energize.”

Overall, she enjoyed the break, as it allowed her to follow her own schedule by prioritizing things that she wanted to do, such as hanging out with friends and family, all whilst working hard. 

“These past few months had been pretty overwhelming and exhausting due to study and work,” Berbari explained. “But, I was able to relax this week and get back some strength to tackle the rest of the semester.”  

Héloise Kissel (U2 Management) 

Kissel made use of the break to hang out with friends and relax. She spent her days wandering around Montreal, exploring cafes and restaurants with her friends, and watching movies with her roommate. 

“We kind of have a movie theatre set up at our apartment, and every night we would either watch a movie or catch up on a series,” Kissel said. “After a couple of intense weeks of studying, it felt good to unwind and relax with friends over small things.” 

Despite still having to work over the break, Kissel managed to find a balance between relaxing and studying. As she usually sticks to a fixed schedule for each day of the week, it felt freeing to be able to make spontaneous plans with friends. An avid lover of Korean food, Kissel visited DaDashi during the week, a Korean restaurant on Saint-Catherine Streets. 

“One evening, my friends and I decided to go out and eat at a Korean restaurant, and oh my god, it was so good!” Kissel said. “It felt really nice to be able to just peacefully eat out with some friends and not have to constantly think about assignments.”